Page 87 of Kiss and Tell

Lucy had just had the best time of her life, and now…

She sighed as Joey took the exit off the interstate that led to Gracemont.

Now, it was over. She was home.

She tried to dismiss how wrong the wordhomesuddenly felt.

Miles was in the passenger seat, staring at his phone, while Joey was driving the RV. Both men had been uncharacteristically quiet since they’d woken up this morning. Of course, she hadn’t said much either. At first, she blamed exhaustion. None of them had gotten much sleep. Now, she could see from the strained expressions on their faces they were experiencing the same melancholy she was. Today, there’d been no chatting, no car games, no music.

“Do you have time to stay for dinner?” she asked, breaking the long silence. They’d gotten a later start than normal, none of them in a hurry to get out of bed, aware it was their last morning together. As such, it was nearly six o’clock at night as they neared the farm.

Joey glanced at the dashboard to check the time, but Miles was already shaking his head in response.

“I’m afraid not. It’s another two hours to Baltimore. We’re parking this beast,” Miles said, in reference to the RV, “on our friend Leo’s farm. Layla is going to pick us up there and drive us back into the city. We’re meeting Justin and Killian tonight for a late dinner and drinks at Pat’s Pub, then we start filming in the morning. The schedule is tighter here as we’re trying to finish filming in Baltimore before Thanksgiving.”

The guys were staying with Joey’s sister Layla while they were in Baltimore.

“Pat’s Pub?” Lucy asked.

“Finn’s family owns it, and a bunch of them work there,” Joey explained, mentioning Layla’s husband.

“Joey and his brothers actually renovated the entire place after a fire,” Miles added. “Ever since then, Finn’s mother, Riley, has referred to the Moretti boys as the Italian Stallions.”

Lucy had seen all of Joey’s brothers, and she had to admit the name fit.

“Between Layla marrying into the family and the rebuilding of the pub, I’ve gotten really close to the Collins family,” Joey said. “Especially the bartender, Padraig. He’s become a good friend. I set him up with his wife.”

Miles snorted. “Is that how you’re spinning that tale?”

Lucy leaned forward, happy for the distraction as the RV rolled down Gracemont’s Main Street. In a few minutes, they’d make the turn that would take them up the mountain to Stormy Weather Farm. “How did you set them up?”

“I asked Emmy, who’s now his wife, out on a date. She and Padraig were just friends at the time,” Joey said.

“According to Padraig,” Miles interjected, “they were just friends until Joey strutted into the pub with his arm around Emmy. That was when he realized he was in love with her.”

Joey laughed. “I figured that out about three seconds after Emmy and I walked in. Padraig was shooting daggers at me across the bar. So, I did what any self-respecting matchmaker would do in the same situation.”

“Which was?” Lucy prompted.

“I kissed her.”

Lucy giggled. “Oh my God. Did Padraig throat-punch you?”

Joey shook his head. “No. He probablywouldhave if I’d put up a fight for Emmy, but I could see she was in love with him too.”

“That’s so romantic…for them.” Lucy had paused before adding the last two words, making the guys laugh.

“Theirs is definitely a story worthy ofKiss and Tell,” Joey said. “Might be fun to get a cameo in one of your episodes. Because I would insist on being recognized for my efforts on their behalf.”

Lucy bit her lip, because it was on the tip of her tongue to suggest Joey turn the RV back toward the highway just so she could meet the couple and interview them.

She didn’t, because there were too many people relying on her at the farm. She couldn’t adopt Miles and Joey’s adventurous lifestyle, no matter how much she might want to.

Joey made the turn, and she leaned back, this winding road as familiar to her as the back of her hand. She had hoped that somewhere over the last few days, she’d find a spark of excitement over returning, but if the unbearable weight pressing down on her was any indication, she’d say that wasn’t coming. Perhaps she’d feel better once she was home and saw her family again.

Once they crested the hill and her farmhouse came into view, Lucy literally had to fight back tears. She blinked rapidly because she refused to ruin this goodbye by becoming a blubbering, inconsolable mess. She’d save the tears for later, when she was alone in her own bed.

Joey parked the RV in the driveway, turning it off. She glanced at the porch, sort of surprised no one was there. She’d texted Remi around lunchtime to give her their ETA. She’d been so wrapped up in her misery that it didn’t occur to her until just now that Remi hadn’t replied.

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